Tannin

[jameshunter63]

Iv recently put in a few new logs/driftwood which really has bleached my tank a horrid (in my opinion) brown tea colour. I know this is normal as i have had driftwood in other tanks which has cleared up in a couple of months, but is there a quicker way to clear this?? i currently have carbon in my filter and apparently this should work but has had no affect so far.
thanks

 

[mtv8dmarine]

Iv recently put in a few new logs/driftwood which really has bleached my tank a horrid (in my opinion) brown tea colour. I know this is normal as i have had driftwood in other tanks which has cleared up in a couple of months, but is there a quicker way to clear this?? i currently have carbon in my filter and apparently this should work but has had no affect so far.
thanks

Some people stick their driftwood in boiling water a few times to accelerate the process. I know there is a potential for accelerating the structural breakdown of the wood because of this. I don't know how much faster it breaks down I just know it's been a topic of discussion before. Some people boil, others don't. I chose not to with my centerpiece and while I do use carbon in both my filters, it's frequent water changes that helps keep things a bit clearer until the leaching tannins are reduced.

 

[jameshunter63]

o ok, so its now just wait and let it take it toll!! will do plenty of water changes and hopefully that can sort it a bit. thanks!!

 

[Bignose]

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=276398&view=findpost&p=2292550

See the above old post of mine -- tannins provide a number of nice benefits, so you may not be too hasty to get rid of them.

 

[BigC]

The only way to rid the tank of tannins and other water clarity problems is to sporadically use a Diatomic filter. These were also effective against ICH to a degree. Sadly they are hard to obtain in Europe, but I think you can still get them Stateside under the Vortex brand.
Regards
C